When it was learned that Andrew Bogut and Jermaine O’Neal would miss Monday night’s game against the Sixers, the prevailing wisdom said the Warriors would need to go small because they had no choice. Interestingly enough, Mo Speights dusted off the part of his game that meant scoring in bunches, coming out of nowhere with a career-high 32 points in a 123-80 blowout of the Sixers.

Sunday night featured the fun sidelight of watching the Clippers/Sixers score to see if Los Angeles could win a game by the widest margin of all time. The Sixers actually staged a comeback of sorts in the fourth quarter to make the final score closer than it was throughout most of the second half.

The Clippers won by a score of 123-78.

Philadelphia isn’t just tanking, they’re an embarrassment to the game. A pox. The less time spent watching Spencer Hawes pretend to get back in transition, the better.

The true story of this game has to do with comments Mark Jackson made before the game, about Bogut’s shoulder injury.

Mark Jackson said Andrew Bogut didn’t hurt shoulder in a game or practice. “It may have been sleeping, and I say that in all seriousness.”

Jackson said before the game he did not know how Bogut got hurt before offering these comments:

“As far as I know, it was not on the court,” Jackson said. “It wasn’t in practice. It wasn’t in a game. I’m not really sure. It may have been sleeping, and I say that in all seriousness, but it’s important for us to make sure we continue to treat him, it’s legitimate, and then let’s be smart with it. We’re looking ahead at a whole week of rest and recovery, and we need him.”

Bogut responded: “I just wanted to address that the sleeping comment is absolutely ridiculous. I don’t know where it came from. I don’t know if I should read between the lines with it. The frustrating thing is: I don’t know when I hurt it against Utah (on Jan. 31). I just know after that game, it was a little sore. It hasn’t gotten better.”

Bogut said he’ll decide in the next couple of days whether to get a cortisone shot, and he plans to talk to Jackson about his comments after Monday’s game. The center didn’t want to interrupt the coach’s pregame preparations.

“I don’t know where (the sleeping comment) came from or if he heard that from the trainer or from somebody, but it’s definitely not the case,” Bogut said. “It’s not like I just woke up after sleeping on my shoulder wrong. I have a bone bruise and swelling in my shoulder. That coming from sleeping is very highly unlikely, I believe.”

Jackson’s postgame press conference began with a question about Speights, but the Warriors head coach instead had an opening statement about the Bogut situation.

“Before I get to Mo I just want to address something from earlier. I made a statement about Andrew Bogut. My statement said ‘legitimate.’ My statement said I had the same thing. My statement said that he was hurt. Please don’t twist my words. Understand this also — you will never see a problem in my locker room. You will not see a problem in my locker room, with my group. We are tied together, we are committed. This is not the old culture. This is a new culture. Thank you.”

After some questions about how well the Warriors played, Ethan Sherwood Strauss went back to Jackson’s comments at the beginning of the press conference, and I followed up with another question. Here’s the full transcript, so no words get twisted.

Strauss: On the Bogut situation, when you say “please don’t twist my words,” how do you feel your words were twisted?

Jackson: Well, you can make it seem like I said something against Bogut. That he slept and got hurt. I understand how you can take that and think, “Coach just took a shot at him.” I said he legitimately was hurt. I expressed how it happened. So please put the whole thing in there, and not half the story. I was part of the media. I understand how you can make it much more appealing, and go for the home run. But in three years, in the 23-win season, I didn’t throw anybody under the bus. And you can wait and wait and wait, and it won’t happen here until somebody else is sitting here. That’s not my M.O. And contrary to the choir, it won’t be my M.O. I believe in every one of my guys and I’m proud of what we’ve been able to do. And I’ll go down being me. I can’t be anybody else.

BASG: Bogut said that he was going to wait until later to talk to you because of pregame preparation. Did you guys talk about it before the game and get it sorted out already?

Jackson: There’s nothing to sort out. My office is always open. We did talk. It’s nothing. My only point is, let’s talk. It’s nothing. You can go to anybody in my locker room. Pick who you want, there’s enough people to cover each and every one of them and ask them how the environment is. It’s a fun time (laughs). I mean, we are 10 games over .500. Some of you guys haven’t seen that in a long, long time. So keep on acting like you have. We’re going to continue to work our tails off and continue to try to be a good basketball team and celebrate how far we’ve come and how much further we’ve got to go.

Here’s a video that shows both the second half of the opening statement and the two questions detailed above:

Just our luck, Strauss was already scheduled to join us on our next edition of BASGcast tomorrow afternoon. I’m sure we’ll have plenty to talk about, including …

“This is not the old culture. This is a new culture.” — We’ve heard this quite a bit over the last few years. It’s pretty much a different version of “hey, it could be a lot worse,” which is true but probably not enough for fans (and perhaps ownership) who came into this season with dreams of contending for a title.

“I mean, we are 10 games over .500. Some of you guys haven’t seen that in a long, long time. So keep on acting like you have.” — Ditto, but directed more toward the media.

“And I’ll go down being me. I can’t be anybody else.” — There’s been some talk about Jackson being on the hot seat lately, and comments like this make it sound like he’s feeling some pressure.

It’s getting pretty interesting on Warriors ground these days. The team has one game left against the Miami Heat before the All-Star break commences and the real pressure of the 2013-14 season begins for Jackson and his squad.

About the Author

BASG (Steve Berman) and his wife started Bay Area Sports Guy in 2008, and now it's the No. 1 independent website covering Bay Area sports. You can follow him @BASportsGuy and on Facebook.

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This whole thing with Bogut and Jackson is bizarre. Bogut really should be
honest and say how he got hurt. Yeah, it would be a PR blow for the Warriors if
it's something other than "sleeping", but at least it won't paint both of them
into a corner.

Im a clippers fan, no not one of the bandwagon ones who have emerged in the last two years...I can tell you golden state fans this..i really hate golden state their style, their arrogance....but golden state fans dont panic when healthy your team is very dangerous and on point, no one wants them in the first round of the playoffs, once fully healthy and nearing the end of the season rest assured you guys have a great squad heading into the playoffs this year, dont panic now only a few teams are on their level in the leauge...my clips being one of them

I like the Clippers and the team they've put together, but arrogance is definitely more descriptive of your Clips and their "lob city" alter-ego. Warriors are a blue-collar team that's trying to break through their ceiling and join the Clips in the elite ranks. I think your hate for them may come from the dare I say it "rivalry" that has formed between to two teams. Both have suffered at the bottom of the Western Conference for many years and been irrelivent, but now each is fighting to be a contender and set a culture of winning for the future. I feel like there is a sense between the two teams that they are fighting for that "next spot" as if only one of them can get there and they both feel like it belongs to them. It's great for the NBA and it's great for both teams to have that fire.

I agree there's no need to panic. Mark Jackson is a great coach and leader and has lead this team back to respectability, installed a defense that enables them to compete every night, and has brought a winning mentality to a team that needed it.

Incorrect. He is a very good coach, leading his team to its best season in years, and is unfairly undergoing intense scrutiny. Ironically, stating that someone is "self-righteous" is in and of itself a self-righteous statement.

@PattieWattie Why would an ordained minister, unless said ordainment was a mail order type, spout off in a childish manner in front of his 'flock'? And they're not his parishioners, they're his fans if they were cheering in godamned church. Wouldn't a truly ordained minister take a higher road ???

Why are you guys already writing Coach Jackson off already? The guy has done an incredible job turning this team around compared to how we were 3 years ago. The last best team we had was the "we believe" 2007 warriors, and now we are much better then that. I think that we should let the man do his job and have some faith in him. These are just bumps on the road. -Nate

Couldn't agree more, he's done a great job and I believe he will continue to do so. He's got a few things to tinker with in terms of rotations and things but it sure would make his job easier if he could get some level of consistency from a few of our guys.

Lmao, quit gettin rattled so easily and hittin the panic button, not a good quality to have. Why in the world would you want to see MJax fired? You really think they would be better off? Let's see with a new coach they would be 20 games over .500 instead of 10, DLee would turn into a lock down defender, Klay would break out if his shooting slump, Curry would quit turning the ball over so much, Barnes will all of the sudden reach his full potential, AI will start finishing at the rim instead of passing out, the bench will go from worst to first, and all injuries will go away. Man you really nailed it, Fire MJax right now!! C'mon man! You guys keep saying it was all Malone, how's his sac team doing? Yep still bad, next. Who would you bring in to replace Jax, right I'll keep waiting, and waiting and still waiting...you get the point. Only 1 team every year wins the title, pretty tough thing to do, should all those good coaches be fired for not winning it all? Nope! Everybody wants to win every game in a blowout, news flash...not gonna happen. Everything that has gone on with the warriors this season, I'm glad they are going through it. You wouldn't want to cake walk through the season, get to the playoffs, get down 0-1 in the series and do as you do, get rattled hit panic button, not a good recipe for success. When the playoffs start, they will be ready, they will have grown as players and as a team through all the adversity, from being the hunter to the hunted, they will be prepared for any situation and do it confidently. Don't not be surprised if they are playing in the finals this year. You can't measure the chemistry the Dubs have, it's deeper than basketball and that goes along way.We have the right coach, we have the rights players, we have the right management and owners. So sit back, enjoy the grind, the highs and lows, appreciate the journey and where they are going, it will make it that much sweeter when they get there I promise!

Why in the world would you want to see MJax fired? You really think they would be better off? Let's see with a new coach they would be 20 games over .500 instead of 10, DLee would turn into a lock down defender, Klay would break out if his shooting slump, Curry would quit turning the ball over so much, Barnes will all of the sudden reach his full potential, AI will start finishing at the rim instead of passing out, the bench will go from worst to first, and all injuries will go away. Man you really nailed it, Fire MJax right now!!

I get the feeling that he meant that as a general statement, and NOT as an eminent/looming prophecy. Be it in 6 months, or 16 years, he plans to stay true to himself and not become a shell of himself just to please others.

This is why Twitter makes for a TERRIBLE media engine. Even if Rusty Simmons had used 3 tweets to fully share Jackson's original comment, people would still likely only share/pass on the most eye-catching blurb.

I'm not knocking Jackson really, but maybe he shouldn't speculate on how someone else might have gotten hurt... may have avoided some of this.

I can see how sleeping awkwardly/wrong could have tweaked a nerve or muscle, but unless Bogut rolled out of bed during the night and fell on his shoulder, it's hard to think that sleeping wrong could bruise the bone.

Both Lee's and Bogut's jobs partly involve bumping into people at the hips and shoulders, so this sort of thing can't be completely unexpected.

I just hope they both get back to good health over the break and the team has a great second half! ^_^

This is a very very stupid subject. A guy gets a little annoyed, so now lets make a story out of it. Btw, people do injure their shoulders sleeping. This is a really petty and silly story. Why do we get so many silly reporters in the Bay Area media?

Just a theory, BUT I think this was a shot at the front office more than a shot at the Media. I think the Front Office has been pretty SHADY about injuries to Barnes, Iguodala, Lee, and of course Bogut (stemming from last year). I think Mark Jackson originally tried to toe the company line with this one in feeding the media the front office version, and was Rebuffed by Bogut.

I think this is where Jackson doubled down with his players, and made the above referenced quote. I think he's feeling the pressure from the front office, AND he has to maintain who he is "A player's coach". I HONESTLY think this was the First SHOT Across the Bow.

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